Rat guard



April 16, 1929. A. MEAD 1,709,225

RAT GUARD Filed May 26, 1926 INVENTOR. MLLMM 4. M540 ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. MEAD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

RAT GUARD.

Application filed May 26, 1926. Serial No. 111,721.

My invention relates to rat gun'ds for presimilar parts and portions throughout the venting rats boarding or leaving a ship when views of the drawings.

tied to a dock or the like, and the objects of The guard member 1, guard member 2, my invention are; first, to provide a rat guard rivet 3, string 1, string 5 and guide and sup- 5 ct this class which compl es with the Governport member 6 constitute the principal parts (so ments requirements, which is easy to position and portions of my rat guard. I on the ships hauser, tender or the like in The guard members 1 and 2 are substanthe proper spaced relation from the ship and tially duplicates excepting the guide and supdock and easy to remove therefrom; second, port member 6 and supporting notch 1, and 10 to provide a rat guard of this class which is when assembled are positionedin the reverse 65 flat and therefore will require very small direction to each other. Each of these memstorage space when not in use; third, to probers 1 and 2 are made of sheet metal of suitvide a rat guard of this class which is so able'thickness and to meet the Government constructed and supported by a string or the requirements; and when positioned together like that the two members of the guard will on the hauser are of the proper diameter 70 automatically open up to pass over the hauser around the center of the hauser to meet the and when released will automatically close Government requirements The lower sides over the hauser by the action or gravity; however are extended at 1 and 2 to provide fourth, to provide a rat guard of this class sufiicient weights for holding the members in which may be removed from the hauser with certain position in closed relation on the 75 one hand of the operator, if desired,'by simply hauser by the force of gravity. These memlifting the guard off the hauser; sixth, to here are pivoted together intermediate their provide a rat guard of this class which is not upper edge and the openings upon which they leashed to the hauser; seventh, to provide a rest on the hauser by means of a rivet which rat guard of this class which will be thrown is preferably a copper rivet to prevent 'loulso out of equipose with the slightest pressure aping by corrosion or rust between the metals. plied so that it a rat attempts to climb over The members overlap each other when posithe guard, it would be thrown overboard; tioned on the hauser as shown by the solid eighth, to provide a rat gi'iard of this class and dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. which it the ship changes its position, said They are each provided with a circular cut 85 guard is pr ssed up against the dock and away portion 1 and 2 and the metal is flattens out against the dock and is not bent, turned back against itself at 1 and .2 for rebuckled or injured; and, ninth, to provide a inforcing at this point also providing a rat guard of this class which is simple rounded edge so that the guard will not cut and economical of construction durable, easy or damage the hauser and will slide easily go to operate, etficient and which will not readily upon the same. The members '1 and 2 are deteriorate or get out of order. also provided with inwardly curved portions l/Vith these and other objects in view as will 1 and 2 to overlap when they are on the appear hereinafter, my invention consists of hauser and so that they will easily slide over 40 certain novel features of construction, comthe hauser when positioning and removing 5 bination and arrangement of parts and porthe same. The member 1 is provided with a tions as will be hereinafter described in denotch 1 at the opposite side of the cut out tail and particularly set forth in the appended portion 1 from the rivet 3, and the member 2 claim, reference being had to the accompanyis provided with a guide and support member ing drawings and to the characters of refer- G which is riveted through the member 2 in ence thereon which form a part of this apposition to receive the notch 1, and said memplication, in which: ber 6 is provided with a relatively large oval Figure 1 is a perspective view of my rat shaped head with a curved under side, as guard shown positioned on the hauser and shown best in Fig. 3 01 the drawings. The 50 ready for use; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view notch is preferably in the form of an arcuate of the same when it is in an openedposition slot with the axis of the rivet as a center and ready to be positioned on the hauser, and extends considerable distance inwardly Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale from the edge of the member 1 adjacent the through 3- -3 of Fig. 1. corresponding edge of the member 2. The 55 Similar characters of reference refer to e is adapted to hold the "free end of the members 1 and 2 together when the device is placed over the hauser, even though the hausers may vary considerably in diameter. The curved or beveled under or inner side of the member 6 is adapted to facilitate the introduction of the shank thereof into the slot- 1 when the free ends of the members 1 and 2 are separated slightly with respect to the normally adjacent fiat sides thereof. These members 1 and 2 are also provided with hand holes 1 and 2, around the edges of which the metal is turned over against itself for reinforcement and providing rounded edges so that it will not injure the hands of the operator in handling the same. They are also provided in their lower ends with holes 1 and 2 which are adapted for lcashing the members together to prevent their bending or buckling when packing and storing away, it being noted that the end oi the string 4t may be passed through the holes 1 and 2 and tied. It is notnecessary however to leash them to 'ether at their lower ends when the rat guard is positioned on tne hauser and in use. Each of the members is also provided with a pair of spaced apart holes 1 and 2 which are provided with turned over portions or are provided with eyelets for rein forcing the edges and preventing the cutting of the marline string l wl 'ch is secured at its opposite ends through the holes 1 and 2, thus "forming a loop of suitable length as shown best in the drawings. To this loop l is tied a piece of marline string all of which may be prepared below deck and made ready before the ship reaches the deck. The other end of the marline string 5 is secured to the ship, the pieces of marline string at and 5 being of the proper length for positioning the rat guard the proper distance from the ship and from the mooring point.

The operation is as follows: a piece of marline string is secured at its one end to the ship and at its other end in the loop portion 4 of the marline string 4-. The marline string 1 is grasped by the operator and the rat "guard lifted up over the hauser A, the lower side being automatically spread and assuming the position shown in Fig. 2 by their weight on'the string in the hands of the operator and when the same is dropped over the hauser and released, it assumes the position shown in F 1 of the drawings and can be easily pushed out on the hauser to the required distance from the ship. In removing the guard the marline string is drawn in and the rat guard slides toward the ship within reach of the operator and by grasping the string 4;, the guard is lifted free from the hauser, the members 1 and 2 spreading at the lower end. The marlinestring 5 is then released and if desired the lower ends may be leashet together with the marline through the holes i and 2 and the guard stored away. This entire operation, it will be noted, can be perlormed without leaning over or assuming dangerous positions.

Though l have shown and described a particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, 1 do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claim. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a rat guard, a pair of pivotally nected flat plate members provided with an approximately central opening when connected and with extended portions for balancing and supporting the same in closed relation, and guide and beveled supporting means for guiding the extended ends of said plate members and forcing them toward each other when shifted toward each other about their pivotal axes and for holding the lower extended ends of said plate members in certain relation to each other.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 19th day of May, 1926.

WILLIAM A. MEAD. 

